Page 21 of Beacon Grove Chronicles 1: Hassan & Sylvia

“Concerns you how?”

“Because what is the point? You want homegrown pussy that you can slide in whenever you’re here visiting your people? Just say that and not all this other shit. Don’t give me a song and dance and then fuck me over. I’ve had that before and I’m not enduring it again. I’m not fighting over a man again in my life, I shoot niggas now.” She nodded toward her purse that was hanging on the back of her seat to let me know she meant every word she’d said.

“You need me to handle him say the word. There’s plenty of places he can get dropped off and no one will miss him.” Shit, one of the family’s in the organization I worked for had access to volcanos and shit. It wouldn’t be that deep to charter a flight to Hawaii and dump Dave’s ass. I’d even make a baecation out of it and let Sylvia explore the island while I erased her past mistake.

“Why are we talking about Dave when y’all are both dogs?”

“Nah, that nigga is a bitch who peaked in high school and still managed to get the perfect woman and fuck it up. Ungrateful bastard. But I’m not a dog. We did some grown shit and I left you with a way to contact me. That’s my fault for not getting back to you quick but work was hectic as fuck the last two years.” That was all I could give her and I knew my cryptic answer didn’t suffice.

“Work? Managing the hotel your family owns was hectic?”

“That’s not where I work, Sisi.”

She rolled her eyes because she knew I was in security and she was trying to downplay my profession by chalking me up to a hotelier. “Why are you back calling me that?”

“Shit is natural when I’m around you. My entire body relaxes like you’re the calm my nervous system needs. We sat here in this very place that night and spoke like no time had passed. You gonna play the both of us now by saying that shit didn’t feel good?”

She scoffed and tilted her glass at me. “The liquor helped your cause.”

“You not finna blame it on the alcohol like I took advantage of you, lil mama. That’s not how that works.”

“I wasn’t suggesting—”

“You were attempting to deflect your emotions by putting your actions on being inebriated. I put too much pride in being a man who is never on bullshit to let that comment slide.”

She tried to roll her eyes playfully but she’d struck nerve. “Relax—”

“Hell nah. That’s how niggas get away with their bullshit. Now, are you going to make me out to be something I’m not or you gonna be grown about your pussy and own up to the shit we did.”

“I would never have you carrying a burden that wasn’t yours. I was more than aware of what went down, it had been a long time coming.”

I smirked and licked my lips conjuring up her taste effortlessly now that I was this close to her. “Not you admitting that you were crushing on me.”

“I did but you weren’t about to date a girl that was taller than you back then. If only you’d stuck around long enough to hit your growth spurt.” She shrugged like her not even giving me a chance back then was something she’d expected.

“There’s no time like the present to make up for the past.”

Those big eyes narrowed again and I cold tell she was suspicious of my words. “What is it that you want from me?”

That question was too loaded for me to give her an honest answer. The truth was, I wanted her. Every facet of Sylvia the flawed and flawless that encompassed this woman. Her kids would be a blessing to me because I didn’t have any. Even signing up to deal with Dave’s ass for the rest of my life wasn’t deterring me and I’d hated that muthafucka for most of my life.

“I have a break from work. I won’t be traveling as often but I will still need to travel. When I have to work I’ve never balanced a personal life before but I’m working on that.” Telling her all the details wouldn’t have gone in my favor. To be real she probably would’ve ran out of the bar screaming.

“Why are you telling me all this?” The hostility had moved more toward curiosity but I wasn’t stupid enough to think it wouldn’t return when I told her what I needed to.

“Because I want to date you.”

My words hung between us but I wasn’t pressuring her to respond. Instead, I picked up my glass and sipped the Prism I’d ordered.

“Why?”

I smiled as I put my glass back down because I expected her to have this question. “What do you mean why? I haven’t been able to get you off my mind for the last two years.”

“But you didn’t reach out to me at all.” Her face was frowned up thoughtfully like she could read my mind.

“That’s complicated.”

She scoffed and I knew without giving her the truth she would think I was on some bullshit. “I’ve done complicated before, Hassan, I’m not interested in that again.”